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'Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation' to Open Sprockets Film Fest for Kids

The 14th annual Canadian event will kick-off on April 8 with the world premiere of the Pixar animated short and a behind-the-scenes look at "Cars 2."

TORONTO -- The Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children will open next month with the world premiere of the Pixar animated short Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation, which arrives in theaters with Cars 2 on June 24.

Opening with a Hollywood title is a milestone for the kids-friendly film festival which in its 14 years has looked to broaden young film tastes beyond Pixar and Disney by featuring mostly European films.

Sprockets programmers instead selected the Pixar short, directed by Gary Rydstrom and featuring Ken and Barbie and Toy Story 3 characters, to open the festival on April 8.

"Opening with the world premiere of a Pixar short film is a first for us, and we're delighted to present an exclusive evening with Pixar Animation Studios to Toronto audiences," Elizabeth Muskala, director of festivals and events at TIFF, said Tuesday.

Hawaiian Vacation features the voice talent of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.

Sprockets' first-night audience will also get a sneak peek at Cars 2 with a behind-the-scenes presentation by a Pixar animator who worked on both Hawaiian Vacation and the John Lasseter-directed Disney/Pixar feature.